


Violent Delights/Violent Ends

by glue_factory



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Teen Romance, do they die at the end?, don't forget to like comment and subscribe, it's basically romeo and juliet but better, it's cute, read and find out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glue_factory/pseuds/glue_factory
Summary: It's like Romeo and Juliet, but gay.
Relationships: Cat Valentine & Jade West, Cat Valentine/Jade West
Comments: 7
Kudos: 48





	Violent Delights/Violent Ends

**Author's Note:**

> About eighty-seven years ago, liz-egan-gillies.tumblr.com asked me to write a Cade that was "equally angsty and fluffy" that dealt with coming out. Here it is. I hope you enjoy. :)

Jade West is known for throwing the best parties, so naturally when Halloween rolls around again, the students at Hollywood Arts and the surrounding high schools look to her to throw this year’s Halloween party. And she, of course, delivers, inviting everyone she can tolerate for a few hours as long as they wear a costume and bring booze. 

Cat leans against the wall of Jade’s living room. Her large brown eyes scan the room for a familiar mop of dark curly hair until she is snapped out of her thoughts. 

“Cat, are you even listening?” Tori asks, adjusting her police officer’s badge. It would be Tori Vega to wear a costume again, but at least it still looks new.

“Of course not,” Trina answers bluntly. “She’s looking for Robbie.” 

That’s not true. Ever since the Cow Wow when Robbie chose Gabriella over Cat, everyone thought she was mooning over him. In actuality, she’s upset over the girl she likes. Being here makes her sick, but she didn’t want to miss the biggest event of the semester. 

“C’mon, Cat,” Tori tries to cheer up the shorter girl and pats her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. “There's plenty of other fish in the sea.” 

Cat simply sighs and catches sight of Robbie awkwardly dancing with Gabriella. Her heart crumbles, not because she wishes that she was there with Robbie but because she wishes she was dancing with her. The redhead lets out a soft whimper and surveys the room for a distraction, but there is none. The loud music only makes the pain in her chest ache worse. The way Andre swallows some Northridge girl causes her to crave that affection even more. And then she finds Jade dancing with the boy who’s trying to fall back into her good graces after breaking up with her again a mere month ago. 

Cat can’t stand the sight of this. Last month, the dark haired girl was on her doorstep, crying her eyes out, and now, she sways with the boy that caused her heartbreak. He obviously doesn’t deserve her. Her beauty. Her loyalty. Her heart. Yet, she still gives it to him the moment he asks for it. Not to mention, he doesn’t even care about her. About how he left her heartbroken. About how he left her inconsolable. About how she will give her heart to him so he can break it at any chance he gets. Cat doesn’t get it, but Beck is everything Jade wants. He has managed to creep his way back into Jade’s life and whisk away Cat’s crush. Typical. 

Cat feels her blood boiling as Jade continues to dance with Beck like they had never broken up. Her grip tightens around her plastic cup, and it slips out of her fingers and onto the floor. 

“Oh, my God, Cat!” Trina squeals, averting her gaze to the floor. “I just bought these heels, and now, they’re covered in vodka.”

“I gotta go,” Cat mumbles absentmindedly and pushes her way through the crowd of teenagers, stumbling into the kitchen. She has to get her mind off of them. The way they looked so happy. The way Jade appeared to give her heart back to him. Cat feels sick. 

The redhead downs a cup of the red liquid from the spiked punch bowl and turns quickly to fill it again, bumping into someone. 

“Hey, watch it, fr—Cat!” Jade shouts harshly before cutting herself off and smiling brightly. She brings the shorter girl into a quick embrace, and Cat nearly melts in her friend’s arms. “I didn’t think you would come because...”

Cat smiles uncomfortably and shifts her balance awkwardly, knowing that Jade was going to bring up Robbie just like everyone else. “Well, I wouldn’t miss a Jade West party.” She lets out a small, pathetic laugh and takes this second to gaze at the hostess’s costume. 

It’s a simple short, revealing black dress with black devil horns and black heels to match. Although it’s seemingly plain, it looks better than Cat’s unoriginal, last-minute cat costume. It was the only thing she could muster up since her mind and heart were aching. 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Jade smirks, snapping Cat from her gaze. 

Feeling her face heat up, Cat looks around frantically and slowly meets Jade’s blue eyes. She stammers, looking for a quick excuse, “I, uh, really like your costume.” 

“Thank you,” Jade says with that smirk still plastered on her lips and looks down at her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles. “I was so busy planning this party that I forgot to pick out a better costume.” 

In Cat’s eyes, she still looks stunning. 

“Beck wanted us to go as Bonnie and Clyde, you know, before we broke up,” Jade continues, chuckling to herself, and swirls the contents of her cup around. “And now he just _has_ to show up to my party to try to win me back or whatever,” Jade sighs and rolls her eyes at the thought of her ex-boyfriend. 

Cat hopes that she doesn’t take him back again, but Jade is known for being unpredictable sometimes. “Guys suck,” Cat speaks up finally after she swallows the lump in her throat that she didn’t even notice was there. 

“Yeah, Cat. Yeah, they do,” Jade hums in agreement and takes a sip from her cup. 

“Then why were you dancing with him?” Cat inquires, causing Jade choke on her drink. The redhead apologizes profusely, patting her friend’s back until she stops coughing. Maybe Cat shouldn’t have asked that, but she was curious. Out of all the people here at this party, Jade decided to dance with Beck. Sure, Cat might not have been in the mood to dance, but she would’ve loved to dance with Jade if she had the opportunity. 

“Things are complicated,” Jade mumbles and refuses to meet Cat’s gaze, shifting her balance. 

“How so?” Cat questions, cocking an eyebrow. She can’t understand how it could be so complicated. He broke up with her. He broke her heart, and now she has moved from being completely over him to considering taking him back. Cat’s perplexed to say the least. 

“I don’t know. They just are,” Jade sighs, giving into Cat’s persistence, and sets down her cup. “Listen, I guess Beck still likes me, but I can’t do this back and forth thing with him anymore. Besides, I don’t even think I like him anymore.” 

Cat smiles awkwardly, and for a second, she believes she has a chance with Jade. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to show Jade how much she cares about her. How much she loves her. And with that, Cat downs whatever is left in her and Jade’s cups.

“Cat, what are you—”

“Dance with me,” Cat orders and takes Jade’s hand, dragging the taller girl back into the living room with the crowd of dancing bodies. 

The two dance together for the next several songs, and for once, Cat feels happy. Maybe it was Jade that was making her feel this way, but it was most likely the alcohol. Whatever it is, she’s grateful for it and she doesn’t want it to end. 

Then she notices how beautiful Jade is. Well, she has noticed, but never in this way. Under the dim lighting of the room. Among all the people pressed against one another. Jade is the only person Cat sees, and Cat is all right with that. She likes admiring the way Jade’s black hair bounces off her pale face with every movement. The way her blue eyes seem to be the brightest thing in the room. The way her lips mouth every word to each song. 

Cat’s in love, and she can’t help herself when her lips find Jade’s. And time stops. Everything stops. And they’re alone. She’s lost in her soft lips until Jade pushes her back. 

Flushed, Cat expects to be yelled at, to be embarrassed in front of everyone here, but instead Jade brings her lips to the redhead’s ear, whispering, “Not in front of everyone.” 

Suddenly, the front door bursts open, and blue and red flashing lights flood the house. People quickly flee the house while Cat stands there, mesmerized by Jade’s eyes. Her feet remain firmly planted on the ground until someone tugs on her arm and drags her outside. She’ll never forget the expression on Jade’s face. That longing look behind her eyes. That part in between her lips. 

Oh, if only she could go back. 

* * *

Cat drowns out the babbles of one of the Vega sisters. Her mind only focuses on one thing. Jade. She can’t shake Jade’s words out of her head. _Not in front of everyone_. She wonders if Jade would’ve let them kiss if no one was around or if Jade would’ve let the redhead kiss her at all. That haunts her. The thought that Jade didn’t feel the same way, but she had to. They weren’t acting. There wasn’t a script. It was all in the moment. The thought that Cat finally acted on her childhood crush with the help of alcohol running through her veins. She had that confidence. She acted on the situation.

“Cat, are you all right?” Tori interrupts with a soft smile and gently squeezes the redhead’s knee. 

Startled, Cat jumps slightly and remains silent, averting her gaze to the red sofa underneath her. She lets out a sigh and picks at the frills of her purple pajama bottoms. 

“Still upset about Robbie?” Tori asks, trying to tread lightly on the topic. 

Cat wants to roll her eyes at the comment but instead she sighs heavily in exasperation and weighs her options. If she tells Tori, then word will get back to Jade, and what if she doesn’t feel the same way? However, if she keeps this secret to herself like she has been for the past few years, then nothing will change, and Cat will continue to wonder about what could’ve been. Cat doesn’t like either of those options, so she brings her knees to her chest and rests her head on her knees. 

“No,” the redhead answers and turns her head away from Tori.

“Then what’s wrong, Cat?” Tori questions with genuine concern in her voice.

Cat can’t stand it here anymore. All these questions are driving her insane. She has to get out of here. “I think I just wanna go home,” she murmurs and slowly brings herself off the sofa.

“Okay. Well, I can wake up Trina and get her to drive you home,” Tori suggests, knitting her eyebrows in worry. 

“No, I can walk, but thanks anyway,” Cat turns down, gathers her bag, and heads out the front door without a single farewell.

Once Cat is outside, the cool November air nipping her cheeks and bare arms, she begins trudging down the street. She rubs her arms to stay warm while her feet unconsciously bring her to back to Jade’s house. Cat doesn’t even realize this until she’s standing outside of Jade’s daunting front door and ringing the doorbell.

After a minute or so, the door is yanked open, revealing the dark haired girl still in costume. “What!” Jade shouts angrily before her face softens at the sight of Cat flinching at her voice. “Cat, what are you doing here?” 

“I—uh,” the redhead stammers and bites her bottom lip. She hasn’t really thought this through. She doesn’t even know why she is here, yet she is. Might as well make the most of it. “I’m sorry about earlier. I don’t know what came over me, and I completely understand if you don’t want to be friends with me anymore. I—”

Jade steps forward and softly presses her lips against Cat’s, effectively shutting up the shorter girl.

When she pulls away, Cat brings her fingers to lips, mumbling, “What was that for?”

“I like you, too, Cat,” Jade admits and struts back inside her house with Cat slowly following behind, dazed. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. Maybe all the alcohol in her system was making her hear things. She does admit she still feels a little drunk. 

Cat gulps, watching Jade pick up the littered plastic cups off the hardwood floor and toss them into black trash bags. Trying to break the awkward silence between them, Cat quietly clears her throat and asks in a small voice, “So, what happened when the cops came?”

Jade perks up and runs a hand through her black curls. “Well, everyone left, and Officer Vega let me off with a warning,” she smiles insincerely and crouches back down to gather the remaining trash. 

Cat nods again and leans against the wall, letting the silence fall between them again. 

“Are you just gonna stand there and watch me or are you gonna help?” Jade asks with her back towards Cat and looks over her shoulder, and instantly, Cat is on the floor, scrambling to pick up the discarded costume parts scattered around her feet.

Jade chuckles slightly, and Cat feels her heart flutter in chest at the sound. 

“You know, I’ve always liked you, Cat, but I never had a shot because you were so hung up on Robbie,” Jade begins and sits down the floor next to Cat, playing with a piece of red ribbon left over from a costume. 

Cat stops and settles down beside Jade, averting her gaze to her own hands in her lap. She wants to tell Jade that she has it all wrong. That everyone has it all wrong. Sure, she did like Robbie, but it was only to distract her from Jade. When that obviously didn’t work, Cat was reduced to watching Jade from afar as she fell deeper in love with Beck and to being there when Jade’s heart was broken. 

Jade sighs and finishes, “I just never thought that you liked me back.”

“How can I not like you?” Cat speaks up for the first time in what seems like ages. She looks back at Jade, scanning her face for an answer. Despite knowing her for so long, Cat can’t read her face sometimes. This is one of those times.

“Because,” Jade exhales and tightly wraps the ribbon around her finger until it turns purple, “I’m mean and rude and I can be super jealous sometimes.” She pauses, unwinding the ribbon around her finger. “How could you like that?”

Cat crawls in front of Jade, sitting herself on her knees and cupping Jade’s pale cheeks. “So what? You can be rude and jealous sometimes,” Cat brushes off and brings Jade’s gaze back to her when she tries to jerk away. She stares into those blue eyes, trying not to get lost in them again. “That doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re loyal, protective of those you love, and ambitious and that you throw awesome parties.”

Cat smiles brightly and is soon caught off guard by those same lips again. 

Maybe this could work. 

* * *

Cat Valentine can’t remember a time in her life where she’s been happier than this moment. Despite the debacle that occurred when her brother returned from the mental hospital on Thanksgiving, everything seemed to be looking up for Cat. She was dating the girl of her dreams even if it was in secret. Jade had told her that if her parents didn’t approve of her dating Beck, then they definitely wouldn’t approve of her dating her best friend. That doesn’t matter to Cat. As long as Cat has Jade, nothing else matters. Except the part where they have to keep their relationship from their friends. Cat doesn’t understand why they can’t tell their friends. They seem pretty accepting, but those were Jade’s wishes. Besides, Cat doesn’t want to ruin what they have.

“Why can’t we tell them?” Cat whines when Jade sits next to her at lunch. This has been bothering Cat since they decided to make things official last month. Jade always has always pushed the topic aside, but now Cat has her right where she wants her.

Jade rolls her eyes and opens the container of her salad, sighing, “Because I don’t want everyone to know—”

“Everyone to know what?” Tori interrupts, taking a seat across from the couple. The rest of their friends follow shortly after, seating themselves around the table. Great. Now Cat would never get this answer out of Jade with their friends interrupting them all the time.

“It’s none of your business,” Jade snaps angrily and stabs her salad. 

“Anyway, Andre, Beck, Robbie, Gabriella and I are planning on going to Nozu Saturday night. Are you guys in?” Tori asks, pointing her fork between Cat and Jade. Cat steals a quick glance at Jade who doesn’t even dare to return it.

That’s the problem. Cat and Jade already have plans for Saturday. The one day they can finally be alone. Without interruptions. Just the two of them.

“I have to watch my brother since he’s back now,” Cat lies and shoves a strawberry into her mouth. She hates lying, but this is the first time she gets to spend alone time with her girlfriend in weeks. 

“And I’m still grounded for that party,” Jade shrugs, the lie flowing effortlessly off her tongue. 

“How?” Beck asks incredulously, drawing everyone’s attention. He smiles uncomfortably at the unwanted recognition but continues talking. “That party was over a month ago. How are you still grounded?”

“Maybe because someone called the cops and my house was trashed,” Jade retorts and shoots Beck a glare that doesn’t even phase him. 

“And we’re sorry about that,” Andre says sincerely.

“So sorry,” Tori buds in and backs off when Andre scrunches his face in annoyance at her. 

“But,” Andre continues like he hasn’t been interrupted, “your mom can’t stay mad at you forever, and you’ve thrown parties before. What makes this one any different?” 

Cat glances at Jade curiously, noticing that she’s lost for an excuse. Cat knows that Jade would never lie to Andre, and she wants her girlfriend to tell the truth instead of lying to everyone. It’s exhausting.

“I don’t know. She’s just in a mood,” Jade simply shrugs it off and returns to stabbing her salad.

Beck snorts, and Jade shoots him another harsh glare. Then the table falls into its usual side conversations, and Cat starts to wonder if this could really work. She can’t stand all the lying. All the sneaking around. All the secrets. She can’t take it anymore.

Maybe this couldn’t work. 

* * *

Jade West loves three things more than anything else in the world. Acting. Scissors. And her girlfriend, Cat Valentine. She loves the last one. A lot. She loves how Cat is always patient with her. How Cat always listens to her. How Cat is always entirely accepting of her. This is something new for Jade, and she’s glad she’s experiencing this with Cat. 

Cat runs into the Handy Quick with Jade in tow. Immediately, the redhead goes for the slushie machine, leaving Jade to stroll down the aisles alone. She hums to herself and looks over her shoulder at the storekeeper to assure he’s not paying attention before shoving a small bottle of vodka into her purse. She quickly turns down the next aisle, finding Cat eyeing bright bags of chewy candy and slurping on her slushie. 

“C’mon, Cat, let’s go,” Jade orders and adjusts the strap of her purse on her shoulder. Cat’s eyes are still glued to the bags of candy. 

The redhead grabs a bag of jellybeans, caramel filled chocolates, and red licorice and places them into Jade’s hands. 

Jade rolls her eyes in annoyance and drops the colorful bags onto the white tiled floor. She is not in the mood for this tonight.

“Jade!” Cat gasps in disbelief and bends over to pick up the bags. “You said that I could get anything I wanted.” 

That is true. Jade did say that, but Cat only mentioned getting the slushie and not the bags of candy. 

Jade sighs and crosses her arms over her chest. She wants this to blow over and not turn into a big argument, but Cat pouts and looks at the taller girl with her big brown eyes. A face Jade can never say no to, and Jade remembers that Cat is not her ex-boyfriend. 

Instead of giving into the desires of the redhead, Jade gives into her own and shoves Cat against the wall of freezers behind her. Jade’s lips find Cat’s, and everything feels right. They kiss roughly and passionately until Jade’s lips slowly trail down to Cat’s neck, and Cat tilts her head back to allow Jade more access to the skin. Jade tugs and bites at the sensitive skin, ensuring a mark for later. 

Jade hears Cat let out a soft moan and knows she’s doing a great job, trailing her fingers down to the back Cat’s thighs and lifting her up. When Cat’s ankles lock around Jade’s back and another quiet moan escapes from her lips, Jade smirks to herself. 

Then the slushie slips out of Cat’s grasp, spilling the bright red contents onto the shiny floor. 

Jade immediately pulls back and glances down at the red slush pooling around her boots. Her eyes widen and find Cat’s, noticing the frantic expression on her face. 

“Hey!” the storekeeper shouts, bringing the couple back to reality. They definitely weren’t alone, and he definitely saw everything. “I just cleaned this floor! What the hell are you doing?” 

Jade ignores him. “Go get another slushie and meet me at the car,” she orders Cat and runs back down the candy aisle, shoving the bags of candy they dropped into her purse. 

“But what about paying?” Cat asks and follows Jade down the aisle, knitting her eyebrows. “I don’t have any money.” 

“Go get another one and run,” Jade reiterates through gritted teeth and rises from the floor. She shoots Cat a reassuring glance and runs out the Handy Quick, ignoring the storekeeper’s shouts and the ringing of the checkpoint security system. 

She climbs into her car and nervously fumbles with the keys before starting the engine. She doesn’t even notice Cat slipping into the passenger seat until she hears the redhead’s heavy panting. 

After giving Cat a comforting smile, Jade speeds out the parking lot and onto the empty side street, promising herself to never return to that Handy Quick. Or any Handy Quick in general. 

“Jade?” Cat speaks up, her voice uneven. Jade can hear the anxiety in her tone and she immediately hates that she put Cat through all this stress.

“Yes, Cat?” Jade answers in the most soothing voice she could muster up. Her voice did not sound soothing at all, but at least she tried.

“What if we get caught?” the redhead asks in a barely audible tone.

Jade reassures, “We’re not gonna get caught.”

Cat slurps on her slushie before inquiring, “How do you know that?”

Jade doesn’t know that, but she doesn’t want to instill any more fear in her girlfriend. She does what she does best. She fabricates, “Well, that creep was watching us make out, and he didn’t even try to stop us from leaving.”

Cat whimpers in response, and Jade can feel her heart breaking. She shouldn’t have done that.

“We’ll just never go back, okay, Cat?” Jade decides and glances over at the redhead who nods slowly in response.

They ride in a tense silence, allowing the sounds of other cars to fill the space. Neither of them turn on the radio or attempt to fill the car with their own conversation. It stays like that until the ringing of Jade’s phone interrupts the uncomfortable silence.

“What now?” Jade groans before picking up the phone. “What?” she answers after putting the phone to her ear.

“Jade, where are you?” Tori’s voice asks quickly. Jade is with Cat, and then she remembers what she had told Tori the other day.

“At my house,” Jade answers, trying her best to not sound confused, and knits her eyebrows.

“No, you’re not,” Tori says confidently.

Now Jade is really confused, but she brushes it off. “What makes you think that?”

Tori sighs on the other end of the line, “Because I’m currently at your house, and we’ve looked everywhere for you. You’re not here. Your car’s not here—”

“Wait,” Jade pauses and looks over to see the confused expression on Cat’s face, “you’re in my house? How and why are you in my house?”

“Because we were worried, and Beck—”

“Beck?” Jade shouts and nearly slams on the brake when the light ahead of her turns red. She remembers giving him a spare key when they first started dating, but she guesses she forgot he never gave it back to her. Probably because they both thought they were getting back together. How things change. “Beck let you in my house?”

“We were worried because you weren’t answering your texts, and neither was Cat—”

“Oh, my God,” Jade mumbles and shakes her head in disbelief. This can’t be happening, but it is. “This is so unbelievable.”

“Jade?” Tori says one last time before Jade angrily hangs up.

She looks over to Cat who pouts and won’t even meet her gaze. This was supposed to be their night to get away from their friends, but it seems like the couple can never escape them. When the light turns green, Jade makes a right and mumbles, “I’m sorry, baby girl.”

The drive to Jade’s house is somehow quieter than the drive had previously been. It’s tenser. It’s deafening. Jade would like to be someplace alone with her girlfriend instead she’s pulling up into her driveway where their two friends are standing.

“What the hell, Beck?” Jade shouts once she slams the car door closed behind her. She stomps up her driveway with Cat following behind her and gives him a forceful shove when he meets her halfway. “Are you stalking me now?”

Beck pushes his hands into his front pockets and shrugs, “Tori was concerned, and I just wanted to ease her nerves, but you weren’t even here.”

Not convinced, Jade cocks an eyebrow and crosses her arms over her chest. “ _Tori_ was concerned?”

“I’m just trying to be a good friend,” Beck answers calmly.

“And by being a good friend, you think breaking into my house is a good idea? To make sure I’m okay? Because if so, I’m so lucky to have you as a friend,” Jade retorts sarcastically and smiles bitterly.

In typical Beck fashion, he ignores that comment and deflects. “You’re the one that’s lying all the time. Like, come on, I know you well enough that you never listen to your mom when she grounds you, but suddenly, this time you do? And Cat’s conveniently unavailable this weekend too—”

“Shut up,” Jade snarls through gritted teeth.

Beck continues as if he was never interrupted, “Which is odd because Cat never turns down sushi. Not even to take care of her brother who’s God knows where since she’s right here, and don’t even get me started on that hickey on her—”

“Beck, shut the fuck up!” Jade snaps loudly and takes a long breath. “Give me my spare key and whatever copies you have of it and go! I want you out of my sight.”

Beck opens his mouth to protest but ultimately obliges, dropping the spare key and his two copies into her palm. Before trudging off, he pauses and says, “You know I still love you, Jade.”

“Well, that makes one of us,” Jade smiles sarcastically and watches Beck drop his head and walk back to his car before noticing a bewildered Tori Vega still standing in her driveway. “Scram, Vega!”

Tori quickly scampers away, leaving the couple alone in the driveway. Jade buries her head into her hands and feels Cat’s warm embrace around her. In the redhead’s arms, she falls apart, sobbing hysterically.

This definitely couldn’t work.

* * *

New year, the same Jade West. Jade never believed people could change. She always thought that people would hide parts of themselves and eventually show their true colors. However, when Cat stopped texting and calling her, updating her profile on TheSlap, and showing up to school, Jade knew Cat wasn’t simply showing her true colors. Something had happened, and Jade was worried. The thought of her losing Cat terrified her.

It all started over winter break. Jade called Cat one night before going to bed, and her girlfriend didn’t answer. She just assumed that Cat had already fallen asleep, but when the call wasn’t returned the next morning or at all that day and when an excuse for missing the call wasn’t presented, Jade knew something was up, but she brushed it aside. Maybe Cat was spending time with her family, but the call wasn’t answered, and a text wasn’t sent the day after and the day after that. Then a week passed, and not a peep was heard from Cat. Then school began again, and Cat didn’t show up. She was taken off the roster, and her locker was returned to its original blank, grey state.

Now Jade sits alone at the lunch table, staring at her phone that lies next to her uneaten salad. She wants her phone to ring. To display Cat’s contact photo. To assure her that Cat is all right. But sadly, it doesn’t, and she’s left worrying about her missing girlfriend.

“Jade, are you all right?” Robbie asks as he sits down across from Jade at the lunch table.

She looks at him and rolls her eyes. Of course, she isn’t all right. She wishes people would stop asking her that. It’s such a ridiculous question. She hasn’t spoken to her girlfriend since before winter break. For all she knows Cat could be dead in a ditch somewhere. Or worse. But for now, she just wants Cat to answer her phone or send her a text or something. Anything to say she’s okay.

“Yeah, Robbie, just peachy,” Jade smiles sarcastically and drops back her gaze to her phone and untouched salad.

Trying to break through the thick tension, Robbie sighs heavily, “Yeah, I’m upset Cat isn’t here, too.”

Jade looks back up at him harshly, knitting her eyebrows in confusion. He shouldn’t be worried about Cat. He should be worried about the whereabouts of Gabriella, his girlfriend, not of the girl that has no interest in him and that he rejected.

Robbie shrinks under Jade’s glare and says with an awkward chuckle, “Well, I hope she’s happy with Miriam.”

“Miriam?” Jade questions, knitting her eyebrows tighter. Why is Cat with Miriam? And why would she be happy with this random girl? Then the thought hits her. Had Cat left her for someone else? Jade never expected this to happen. Everything was fine a few weeks ago. Then she remembers how upset Cat would get when she refused to make their relationship public. Maybe Miriam is giving Cat something Jade couldn’t. A chance to have a public relationship.

“Yeah, Sikowitz said something about Cat running off with a Miriam. You would know if you hadn’t skipped class today,” Robbie retorts and quickly shrinks, expecting another glare from Jade.

Instead, she sits there, staring blankly at Festus’s Grub Truck. So, it’s like that. Jade’s worst fear had come true. Cat just left her. No goodbyes. No reasons why. Just gone. Before the sadness can fall over her face and the tears well up in her eyes, anger takes over her, and she clenches her jaw and storms off from the table and into the building.

Fuming, she finds her way to Sikowitz’s classroom, shouting once she enters, “You know where Cat is, and you didn’t tell me?”

“Well, hello to you, too,” Sikowitz greets after taking a long sip from his coconut.

Jade huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. She isn’t in the mood for pleasantries. She has to know where Cat is. She has to know what went wrong. To put it simple, she needs her girlfriend badly. She needs Cat badly.

Sikowitz clears his throat and leans back in his seat, “You would’ve known if you came to class today.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Jade brushes off and begins pacing across the classroom. “So, Robbie told me that Cat ran off with some girl named Miriam, and, like, if she wanted to break up with me, she could’ve just told me instead of falling off the face of the Earth.”

“Break up? You two were dating?” Sikowitz asks and takes another drink from his coconut.

“Doesn’t matter, okay?” Jade snaps angrily. “We’re not anymore. All I know is that I’ve been dumped for God knows how long and been made a fool of for the past two months. Now, Cat’s off with this chick and is nowhere to be seen—”

“Good Gandhi, will you calm down? And stop pacing. It’s making me anxious,” Sikowitz interrupts. He walks towards Jade, placing his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. It sort of works, so he says softly, “Cat’s at St. Miriam’s Reparative and Rehabilitation Center.”

Jade knits her eyebrows in confusion and backs away from her teacher. “What the fuck is that?”

“I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear that,” Sikowitz responds and places his hands back to his sides. “St. Miriam’s is where they send kids to…” he trails off, sitting down on the edge of the stage and avoiding Jade’s gaze.

Jade cocks an eyebrow and blows the hair out of her face. “Where they send kids to what?”

“Jade, sit,” he orders, pointing to the chair in front of him, and Jade grudgingly complies, groaning in exasperation. Anything to get the answer out of him. “So, from what you’ve told me, Cat’s there to be converted.”

Jade shakes her head and rises from her seat, tightening her fists into balls as her blood boils in rage. She storms out the classroom before the hot tears can escape her eyes. No. This isn’t true. It couldn’t be true. There’s no way.

This couldn’t be happening.

* * *

So, this is the end. Cat is on the other side the country, and Jade can’t reach her. She’s tried calling St. Miriam’s, and no one answered. She’s reached out to Cat’s parents who only said that Cat was visiting family. She even visited Cat’s brother at the mental hospital, and he was completely oblivious to the situation. It’s hopeless, and she hates it. Nothing has been the same without Cat. School became incredibly dull the instant Cat left. Their group of friends barely talked to one another now. Jade hates it so much, so any time she has the opportunity to skip school, she does, and the notes about her absence pile up in the corner of her bedroom. 

Jade wants Cat back. In her arms. In her bed. With her. Now she lies on her bed in the middle of her cold, dark room, shutting out the outside world. She can’t bear to stand the light and warmth without Cat. So, her tears soak her pillow. Her nails dig into her palms. Her body trembles. She just wants to feel something. Anything other than this numbness in her heart. Then there’s a knock at her door. 

“Go away,” Jade croaks weakly and squeezes her eyes shut. Her mother has been bothering ever since Cat left. She tries to pry answers out of Jade, but Jade won’t allow it. No one knows how badly Jade is broken up inside, and she intends to keep it that way.

The door creaks open anyway to Jade’s dismay.

“What do you not understand about go away?” Jade snaps, her voice lacking its usual bitterness. It’s most likely her mother to come prod Jade for answers or her father to complain about her obscene amount of absences.

“I thought you would want to see me.” 

Jade jerks up to the sound of Cat’s voice, roughly wiping the tears off her face. Despite her efforts, the tears continue to fall as she is brought into Cat’s warm embrace, and instantly Jade stops trembling from the cold. She feels at ease for once. Everything feels right. Everything feels whole. 

Sniffling, Jade pulls herself back without letting go of Cat after their long embrace. She has so much to say but is at a loss for words. Finally, she stutters, “H-how did you get back? I thought I was never going to see you again.”

“I lied,” Cat chirps, shrugging slightly, and pushes Jade’s messy hair out of her face. “We go to a performing arts school, Jade. I can act my way out.” 

Cat offers up a small smile which Jade returns after a pause. Silence feels the space between them, but it’s nice. Comforting.

“Why is it so cold in here?” Cat asks, removing herself from Jade’s grasp and wrapping herself in her own arms in an attempt to keep warm.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jade dismisses quickly, shaking her head, and takes Cat’s hands into hers. “I’m just so glad you’re back.” 

“I missed you, Jade,” Cat admits, running her fingers over Jade’s knuckles. She sighs and drops her gaze to their hands. “I came out to my parents over break, and I thought they would take it well, but they didn’t.”

Jade’s face immediately falls. She knows how much Cat hates keeping secrets.

“And I thought they would ignore it, act like nothing happened, but they tried to fix me like they try to fix my brother,” Cat takes a shaky breath, shakes her head, and brings her gaze back to Jade, the tears threatening to escape her eyes. “Jade, what if when I go back, they find out I haven’t changed? I can’t lose you again.”

“You won’t,” Jade reassures.

Cat slumps down and buries her hands in her palms. “How do you know that?” 

Jade wishes she knew, but she doesn’t. She hates seeing Cat this way. She wants her girlfriend to be back to normal, bubbly self. Then it hits her. She also doesn’t want to keep their relationship a secret anymore. If she could profess her love for cat from the highest rooftop in Los Angeles, she would, but for now, she’ll let everyone closest to her know. 

Jade rises from her bed and walks over to her desk, picking up two pairs of scissors. “Come with me,” she orders and holds out her hand for Cat to take. 

They drive to Cat’s house, and Jade tries to answer every question Cat has about what had happened at Hollywood Arts and with their friends while she was away. When they pull up in front of the Valentine residence where a car sits in the driveway, Jade stops her car and turns to Cat. 

“So, here’s the plan,” Jade starts to explain. “You want to make sure that never happens again? I’m going to make sure it doesn’t.” 

Cat gives Jade a frantic look. 

“Do you trust me?” Jade asks and holds out a pair of scissors for Cat. 

Cat nods, and they walk hand in hand inside the house. 

They walk out, blood staining their hands, but they don’t care. They’re in love. The smiles on their faces prove that, and when they kiss again for the first time, they know everything will be all right. 

And this most definitely could work. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I obviously took some liberties and chose not to include the rival families and the teen suicide. I also want to point out that Cat is Romeo and Jade is Juliet. So that's that.  
> I still take requests if you have any. Just know it will take me a while to write them.  
> :)


End file.
